Guillain Barre Syndrome: A Single Center Experience

To investigate the clinical, electrophysiological and epidemiological features of the patients who were diagnosed as Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) in our clinic.

The clinical and demographical properties of 30 patients with GBS who were hospitalized in our neurology clinic between March 2013 and August 2017 were retrospectively examined in this study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the requirement of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Patients were between 18-71 years range with 46.9 and 19.61 mean age. Seven of 30 patients (23.3%) were female, and 23 of them (76.7%) were male. Males were more dominant in the ICU (-) group (81% and 62%). A recent infection was found in 86.7% of patients. Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was more common in ICU (+) group whereas lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and acute gastroenteritis (AGE) were more common in the ICU (-) patients (p=0.007). Lower limb weakness was more frequent in the ICU (+) group (p=0.011). ICU (+) patients were lack of diplopia and dysarthria. Ataxia and dysphagia were relatively frequent in the ICU (+) group. Electrophysiological examinations revealed demyelinating polyneuropathy (26.7%), acute axonal polyneuropathy (30.1%) and acute sensorial polyneuropathy (13.3%). Demyelinating polyneuropathy was more common in the ICU (-) group, whereas acute motor and sensorial polyneuropathy (AMSAN) was more frequent in the ICU (+) group. In this study, 26.7 % of study patients required mechanical ventilation, and mortality rate was 6.8 %.

URTI in ICU (+), LRTI and AGE in ICU (-) patients might be major trigger factors of GBS. Ascending weakness, dysphagia and ataxia was more frequent in ICU (+) GBS patients. Demyelinating PNP was predominant in the ICU (-) group, whereas AMSAN was more frequent in the ICU (+) patients. Multicenter randomized studies would be more useful for highlining the epidemiology of GBS.